I spend a lot of time at the kitchen sink, and I mean a LOT of time, doing the kitchen stuff we mamas do. When we sold our house 2 years ago, one thing I hated to leave was my wonderful kitchen faucet. David had replaced the old one with this awesome sprayer type that extended and shot out a powerful stream of water...I loved it! Now, if you don't spend a lot of time at the kitchen sink, you aren't going to get this, but bear with me...

Then we moved, and as much as I LOVE the house we rent now that has more space and is on beautiful land, the kitchen faucet was nothing like the one I left. It was a regular, plain old, nothing-wrong-with-it type of faucet. Boo hoo. No extension. No powerful jets of water. No little switch to change the type of stream of water. Just water coming out, and it does the job with no bells and whistles.

Now, sadly, in my mind, for several months, every time I used that thing, I was complaining, just a bit. Not necessarily out loud, but in my mind. You know, how you talk to yourself: "This thing just isn't as good as my old one; this would have taken less time with my old faucet; dang thing just isn't powerful enough..." Do think I am ridiculous yet?!

Then last year for Christmas we got a catalog for World Vision that allows you to purchase gifts like chickens, ducks, seeds, etc, for people in other countries to help them be self supported. And one of the gifts was, yep, you guessed it- clean water from a well. Gushing from an old fashioned pump type, right there on the page.

I just kept looking at it, shining faces all around it, thrilled to have water from any kind of pipe or faucet at all.

Suddenly my kitchen faucet looked so beautiful. It looked perfect. All of a sudden was in love with that faucet.

Funny how perspective can change your attitude, huh?

Now, I still sometimes start to feel that little aggravation rise up when I need to spray off some gunk and that faucet isn't doing what i think it should... But now I see it as a reminder from my Father of allllll the blessings that I have, and that things I may consider as "necessary" are unimagined luxuries for a large part of the world.

What about you? What reminders has He placed in your life of just how blessed you are? I would love to hear how He takes a frustration and makes it something beautiful to you!

His face is so intent, eyes locked onto the player in front of him, focused. He catches the ball, runs, my heart is beating fast... and when he gets a touchdown I cheer ridiculously loud, I am calling out his name, and I don't care who hears me, who thinks I am over the top- his face is shining at me, pure joy. It is Upward flag football, they don't keep score. But it matters to him. So it matters to me.

He is sweating out there, working the plays, listening to his coach, slipping as he grabs at a flag, missing a pass, then throwing one in a long spiral, like he has been practicing in the front yard with his brother. It's just football, but it matters to him. He is my child. So it matters to me.

I am not an athlete. I don't keep track of teams, or players whose names it seems everyone else knows. I have no idea who was playing this weekend or who won last weekend on football fields across the country and brought into homes through the TV. But on Saturday morning at 9am, I am there beside a field with spray painted lines, and volunteer coaches, holding my QT coffee, and I know one player for sure, and I am making sure he knows that I am there, and watching what he does. Because he is mine.

And I hear it, as I move down the field, following the game, I hear that Voice that's so quiet, that so simply speaks, it is barely a thought: "You are mine... and I see you, too... I know you are out there, on the field, living, striving, working, loving, learning, passing on the Word, falling, slipping, getting back up and doing again what you know to do. Hear Me, cheering for you, leading you on, proud, wanting everyone to know you are Mine. You matter to me, what you do matters to me, you are My child. And I see you, too..." As always, I realize I did not even recognize that I needed to hear those words, needed to be reminded that I am seen, and loved... He gives before we even know we have the need.

The leaves fall around me, and I feel the warmth of the coffee in my hands, and I see him look to the sidelines, scanning for my face. And I smile and he sees me, and smiles back. Thumbs up, I give him. I see you.

Today was a good day. A good day because I am learning to let life happen and not try to control it so much, and because today I did that. Nothing exciting happened, nothing monumental- except I walked away from a dirty, cluttered house to have breakfast with a friend and it was such a blessing. I left the unfolded laundry and lived a little beyond the walls of my house. It was a good day.

And I am blogging about it. And probably no one really have their life changed or be thrilled by what they read here, but I am blogging about it anyway. Why? Mainly because of a series of posts by Lisa-Jo Baker at thegypsymama1@gmail.com, which have stirred me up not to be embarrassed of my voice, or lack of one, and to just get out there and share. She is one of the most encouraging voices in my life, coming across the email waves every day, and thru the last month I have had that weighed down feeling- you know the one when you know you are supposed to do something- every time I read her blog.

See, I write so rarely because I have fallen for the lies of comparison- "compared to her, I am not organized; compared to her I have no good cleaning tips; compared to her I don't have any great insights into the Word; compared to her my parenting must be a mess; compared to her no one reads my blog"- maybe you recognize this ridiculous train of thought? How many times have I had a thought about a Scripture, or been struck by an idea, or just wanted to write, but I didn't because negative thoughts come pounding in- "that is just dumb, no one cares, that has been said before..." BUT... today I choose not to compare myself, not to act on that voice, but instead to listen to the Voice of my Father through the voice of Lisa-Jo: "Small, my friend, is just the right size... Small is the size of every new beginning. Create without a measuring stick. And after a while you might forget the size of your voice."

So, today I lived big... for me. And yes, I am starting small, and not a soul may read this. But it feels good to share some of my soul, to stretch my voice... and I am going to choose to do it more, and to be confident that the One that matters hears every word.

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Shay

In love with King Jesus, grateful for grace, and for the privelege of being David's wife and the mama of our 5 babies- leaning, learning, homeschooling, cleaning, worshipping, reading, knitting, willing to admit I am a work in progress!